San Donaci: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Brindisi, Puglia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in San Donaci
The report looks at the exact point: landslide and flood risk, seismic zone, price per square metre for the area, services and nearby stops.
For example: Via Cellino 2, San Donaci.
San Donaci, negroamaro vineyards near the Lecce border
There are more vines than houses around San Donaci, a town in the south of the province of Brindisi on the border with the province of Lecce. The countryside is flat and almost entirely given over to vineyards and olive groves. This is negroamaro country, and wineries and farming cooperatives are a big part of the local economy. Brindisi, with its port and airport, and Lecce, with its university and hospitals, are the two cities people rely on.
The old centre has low houses, often built around a courtyard with stone vaulted ceilings, surrounded by newer streets of villas and small two or three storey blocks. Many houses are inherited and left empty, and prices are low. The flip side is that work is often needed: flat roof terraces to waterproof, damp walls, wiring and plumbing to replace. If you plan to live here all year, bear in mind that for many services you will be driving to Brindisi or Lecce.
The population is falling. Istat, the national statistics institute, counted 6,154 residents in 2023, 715 fewer than in 2011, a decline of 10.4%. The average age is 47.5, slightly above the province (46.7), over-65s make up 27.2% and foreign residents just 2.0%. Average incomes are in line with the province, which is low by Italian standards.
Earthquake risk is at the bottom of the national scale. All 20 municipalities in the province are in zone 4, and the expected ground acceleration in San Donaci is about 0.048 g. With an older house, the checks that matter are the condition of the vaults, floors and roof.
In the Salento peninsula most rainwater drains into the ground, but heavy storms can leave standing water in low-lying fields, and the report checks the maps for each address. The Revenue Agency publishes the cadastral maps, so the address leads to the plot.
Key points
- Negroamaro country, on the Brindisi and Lecce border.
- 715 fewer residents than in 2011.
- Foreign residents 2.0%, over-65s 27.2%.
- The whole province in seismic zone 4.
Overview
San Donaci is a municipality in the province of Brindisi, in Puglia. At the end of 2023 it had 6,154 residents, ranked 17 of 20 municipalities in the province.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Donaci is in seismic zone 4, the lowest-risk zone, where strong earthquakes are very rare. All 20 municipalities in the province are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.048 g, a low value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
In zone 4 the risk is low, but for an older building it is still worth asking about the state of the structure.
Population
Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 10.4%. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 24%). Foreign residents make up 2.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Donaci declared an average taxable income of 19,265 euros, in line with the province (19,420 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Donaci is in climate zone C, with 1,133 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 15 November to 31 March, for up to 10 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 42 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Donaci has 4 schools and 2 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 4 grocery shops and supermarkets, 5 healthcare facilities and 5 sports facilities.
There are 0.8 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.6).
Public transport
We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.
How built-up it is
Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 9.3% of the land in San Donaci, compared with 10.7% in the province and 8.2% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 3.9 hectares.
Radon and contaminated sites
San Donaci is not among the radon priority areas designated by the Regione Puglia in 2025. According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.
Official databases list one contaminated site, or site still under investigation, in San Donaci. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.
Landslides and flooding
Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within San Donaci: the report checks the address against the ISPRA maps.
House prices
The Revenue Agency's price ranges per square metre (OMI) apply to zones, not to whole municipalities: the report gives the range for the address's zone.
Land registry
The cadastral maps for San Donaci are public: from the address the report finds the sheet and parcel number.
Liveability area by area
The Vicinalia liveability index runs from 0 to 100 and looks at the place, not the people who live there: services within walking distance, transport, green space, natural hazards, air, quiet, buildings and connection. Here it is worked out at the centre of each of the 15 inhabited census areas in San Donaci. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 67 or more.
Residents by band
- fair 45.4%
- good 54.6%
Vicinalia index by census area, licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Data: IdroGEO ISPRA (2026), Istat, INGV, EEA, AGCOM, Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.
The colour is the value at the centre of the area. For an exact address, search for it above: the free check looks at that exact point. How the index is worked out
Data sources
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Radon priority areas (Legislative Decree 101/2020), Regione Puglia, national list compiled by ARPA Lombardia. Licence Atto pubblico (art. 5 L. 633/1941), 2025.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 074013. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.